Milan Vukcevich
Encyclopedia
Milan Radoje Vukcevich (March 11, 1937 – May 10, 2003) was a Yugoslav
scientist
, chess
International Master, Grandmaster chess problem
composer
, and writer.
Vukcevich was born in Belgrade
. In 1955 he won the Yugoslav Junior Championship, drawing a six game match with Bent Larsen
in the same year. He became a chess
International Master in 1958, and in 1960 played for Yugoslavia
at the Chess Olympiad
in Leipzig
and had the second best overall score at the Student Chess Olympiad in Leningrad
. In 1963 he moved to the United States
, settling in Ohio
.
Vukcevich decided on a career in science rather than chess, and in the year he moved to the United States he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He went on to teach at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland, Ohio
for six years before leaving to work for General Electric
, where from 1989 he was Chief Scientist. He was considered for a Nobel Prize in Chemistry
and published two books on science.
Vukcevich continued to play chess. In 1969 he was joint winner of the U.S. Open Chess Championship
, along with Pal Benko
and Robert Byrne. In 1975 he finished third in the U.S. Championship
, ahead of Samuel Reshevsky
, Robert Byrne, Larry Evans
and Arthur Bisguier
among others. From 1976 to 1979 he played in the National Telephone League, scoring 16.5 from 22 games, including wins against Yasser Seirawan, Nick De Firmian
, Leonid Shamkovich
and Bisguier.
Vukcevich is better known as an author of chess problem
s than as a player, however, being the first American resident to be awarded the title of International Composition Grandmaster by FIDE
. In 1981 he published Chess by Milan: Problems and Games of Dr. Milan R. Vukcevich and in 1998 was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame, becoming only the second person (after Sam Loyd
) to be primarily inducted for their achievements in problem composition.
Vukcevich's compositions were gathered together in My Chess Compositions (2003). He composed in all genres, including directmates, selfmate
s, helpmate
s, problems with fairy pieces and a small number of endgame studies.
Vukcevich died in 2003 in Cleveland and is buried in Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Milan's son Marko is a former guitar player in the band Mushroomhead
from Cleveland, OH. The Vukcevich Super Cup was created in his honor soon after his death.
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
International Master, Grandmaster chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
composer
Chess composer
A chess composer is a person who creates endgame studies or chess problems. He usually specializes in a particular genre, e.g. endgame studies, twomovers, threemovers, moremovers, helpmates, selfmates, fairy problems...
, and writer.
Vukcevich was born in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. In 1955 he won the Yugoslav Junior Championship, drawing a six game match with Bent Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
in the same year. He became a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
International Master in 1958, and in 1960 played for Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
at the Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and had the second best overall score at the Student Chess Olympiad in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. In 1963 he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, settling in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Vukcevich decided on a career in science rather than chess, and in the year he moved to the United States he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He went on to teach at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
for six years before leaving to work for General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, where from 1989 he was Chief Scientist. He was considered for a Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
and published two books on science.
Vukcevich continued to play chess. In 1969 he was joint winner of the U.S. Open Chess Championship
U.S. Open Chess Championship
The U.S. Open Championship is an open national chess championship that has been held in the United States annually since 1900.-History:Through 1938, the tournaments were organized by the Western Chess Association and its successor, the American Chess Federation .The United States Chess Federation ...
, along with Pal Benko
Pál Benko
Pal Benko is a chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.- Early life :Benko was born in France but was raised in Hungary. He was Hungarian champion by age 20. He emigrated to the United States in 1958, after defecting following the World Student Team...
and Robert Byrne. In 1975 he finished third in the U.S. Championship
U.S. Chess Championship
The U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational tournament held to determine the national chess champion of the United States. Since 1936, it has been held under the auspices of the U.S. Chess Federation. Until 1999, the event consisted of a round-robin tournament of varying size...
, ahead of Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
, Robert Byrne, Larry Evans
Larry Evans
For the football player of the same name, see Larry Evans .Larry Melvyn Evans was an American chess grandmaster, author, and journalist. He won or shared the U.S. Chess Championship five times and the U.S. Open Chess Championship four times...
and Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bernard Bisguier is an American chess Grandmaster, chess promoter, and writer. Bisguier won two U.S. Junior Championships , three U.S. Open Chess Championship titles , and the 1954 United States Chess Championship title. He played for the United States in five chess Olympiads...
among others. From 1976 to 1979 he played in the National Telephone League, scoring 16.5 from 22 games, including wins against Yasser Seirawan, Nick De Firmian
Nick de Firmian
Nicholas Ernest de Firmian , is a chess grandmaster and three-time U.S. chess champion, winning in 1987 , 1995, and 1998. He also tied for first in 2002, but Larry Christiansen won the playoff...
, Leonid Shamkovich
Leonid Shamkovich
Leonid Aleksandrovich Shamkovich was a chess Grandmaster, and chess writer.He was born in a Jewish family in Rostov-on-Don in Russia...
and Bisguier.
Vukcevich is better known as an author of chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
s than as a player, however, being the first American resident to be awarded the title of International Composition Grandmaster by FIDE
Fédération Internationale des Échecs
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE , its French acronym.FIDE...
. In 1981 he published Chess by Milan: Problems and Games of Dr. Milan R. Vukcevich and in 1998 was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame, becoming only the second person (after Sam Loyd
Sam Loyd
Samuel Loyd , born in Philadelphia and raised in New York, was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematician....
) to be primarily inducted for their achievements in problem composition.
Vukcevich's compositions were gathered together in My Chess Compositions (2003). He composed in all genres, including directmates, selfmate
Selfmate
A selfmate is a chess problem in which white, moving first, must force black to deliver checkmate within a specified number of moves against his will. Selfmates were once known as sui-mates.The problem to the right is a relatively simple example...
s, helpmate
Helpmate
A helpmate is a type of chess problem in which both sides cooperate in order to achieve the goal of checkmating Black. In a helpmate in n moves, Black moves first, then White, each side moving n times, to culminate in White's nth move checkmating Black...
s, problems with fairy pieces and a small number of endgame studies.
Vukcevich died in 2003 in Cleveland and is buried in Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Milan's son Marko is a former guitar player in the band Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead is an American industrial metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in Cleveland Warehouse District, the band's music can be described as a synthesis of alternative music, heavy metal, and electro-industrial...
from Cleveland, OH. The Vukcevich Super Cup was created in his honor soon after his death.
Further reading
- Milan Vukcevich (1981), Chess by Milan: Problems and Games of Dr. Milan R. Vukcevich. MIM Company, Burton, Ohio.
- Milan Vukcevich (2003), My Chess Compositions. Library of StrateGems, California.
External links
- Milan Vukcevich games on Chessgames.com
- "The Beauty of Bristol" - an essay by Vukcevich on the Bristol problem theme
- A biography and selection of Vukcevich's problems
- Biographical sketch by Edward J. Covington
- Obituary from cleveland.com
- The Week In Chess 446 - an obituary and Vukceivch's twenty-two previously unpublished games from the National Telephone League